Still haven't got this sorted.I am self employed, pay into a private pension scheme. How do the payments I make affect student finance. Are they taken into account? So, e.g. 16K salary with 4K into pension scheme becomes 12k for the purpose of the finance contribution.Because if they are not taken into account then I think I will have to stop paying into private pension scheme while DC is at university, which seems wrong, but can't afford both, i.e. contribution towards DC and contribution to pension.

If you do not earn much, your DC will get the full loan anyway. You need to work out what the costs are likely to be over the three years your DC is at university. Can they manage on the full loan, or do you need to top up? Are you a lone parent? If you are not a lone parent, does the father's income alter the situation? If it is just you, £16k or £12k is going to qualify for the full loan, so working out housing costs and everything else for DC while they are away is important so you can budget.

Student Finance England has the income form on line and pension contributions are deductible. You need to have a good look at the site as it is a bit difficult to find. It goes through benefits, income and deductible expenses.

I believe they do. You declare taxable income and pension payments are before tax. You would be taxed after the pension has gone out but surely you don't pay much tax on £12,000 profit? f you get the form off the web you will see what I mean.

Need to also bear in mind that even if your DC get the maximum amount of loan there might still need to be a contribution from you depending on which uni they go to and which course they do. we found it much easier to work all of this out once DC had picked uni and likely accommodation. we are self employed and have found that despite getting almost full grant we have to top up.

What mummymeister said. Acommodation is so expensive now, I think that the maximum loan doesn't even cover it anymore, depending on which university you're going to. Your DC may need to get a part time job or you will need to help out. Two of my cousins are at university, and one of them works every summer to save money up for the year. That could also be an option.